Virgin Atlantic to end all flights to Dubai next year

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• Marcw says:

  28 Jun28 June 09:19

  I mean… why would you travel to almost the other end of the world to park yourself into a resort like this? My rule of thumb is that, when visiting countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia… I stay 90% of the nights in local small hotels. Only 10% in international chains. I believe staying in local small hotels your 20£ stay has a bigger impact in their society than a 200£ stay in a big resort. But that’s my personal opinion.

  • George says:

    28 Jun28 June 09:33

    Because (most) HfPs readers have more money than sense?

    There are several threads on MSE that give good advice as to how to actually see the country as opposed to hiding in big business resorts.

  • Alex says:

    28 Jun28 June 09:40

    My reason for not staying in chain hotels is that they are almost identical whether it’s Philippines or Armenia or USA – what’s the point going somewhere very far and then staying in the place that is the same as all others you stayed in before?

    • ankomonkey says:

      28 Jun28 June 10:46

      Similarly, when I went to Cancun and Sharm-el-Sheik I really felt both had lost all local-ness and were just faceless ‘international’ blandness. YMMV.

      • the real harry1 says:

        28 Jun28 June 17:57

        you should have gone a bit further to Playa del Carmen, I stayed there for a couple of weeks way back then and even at that time driving past Cancun gave me a cold shudder; great diving out of Playa del Carmen & a pleasant town, you’re always going to get loud ‘Northerners’ (so to speak! 🙂 ) but not in such numbers that they spoil your holiday.

        agree about Sharm el Sheik but I immediately transferred to the (liveaboard) dive boat and only really saw the town for 1 evening before flying home, not a place I’d like to holiday but again the diving was great

      • Cat says:

        30 Jun30 June 00:04

        Go even further ankomonkey and harry! For Mexico, I’m not sure if Tulum is still the paradise it once was, but between the lovely boutique hotels there and on Isla Holbox (swimming with whale sharks!), I had a fantastic holiday.

        I really liked Marsa Alam for low key Red Sea diving and just gorgeous beautiful beaches, without feeling trapped in all-inclusive resort hell.

  • Peter K says:

    28 Jun28 June 10:00

    Because you want to feel safe? Because you have a food intolerance that needs catering for? Because you like the knowledge that the place you booked won’t have bedbugs/cockroaches etc? Because you have mobility issues that need catering for? I’m sure there will be other reasons as well.

    • David says:

      28 Jun28 June 16:26

      Ha – we had a cockroach in our 23rd floor room of the Hilton Osaka! Managed to knock £100 of spa treatments off the bill as a result 🙂

  • Lumma says:

    28 Jun28 June 10:11

    I don’t get the whole chain thing wherever I go in the world, I much rather stay somewhere cheap and experience the city and no room upgrade, free breakfast or lounge access can make up for that.

  • Andrew MS says:

    28 Jun28 June 10:12

    Well said . I am off to Phu Quoc in November and staying loca place , looks lovely for £60 per night . I want to relax not be pestered by the staff

    • Dylan says:

      28 Jun28 June 10:42

      One thing to note is that most hotel chains are actually locally owned… the chain just provides marketing, sales, and standards. So a well run chain with a local owner that cares can be quite nice.

      That said, I agree with all of the other points about not paying western rates and getting a more differentiated experience.

      Sometimes the chain hotel and the local hotel next door are actually owned and operated by the same company.

  • Phil says:

    28 Jun28 June 11:22

    Yeah, this isn’t a place where people want info on luxury hotels etc.
    And obviously if you did travel to the other side of the world and waste your time in somewhere nice you would never go outside the hotel gates

  • Genghis says:

    28 Jun28 June 12:51

    I started off travelling as a youngster staying in youth hostel dorms, then to cheaper hotels and now i have a bit of money at “nice” places, whether chain or independent. I may be shot down for this but going to different counties unfamiliar to your own, it’s always nice going back to somewhere clean which feels luxurious, it is “holiday”.

    • Guesswho2000 says:

      28 Jun28 June 13:45

      I agree with this. I did my time in hostels like the Bulldog in Amsterdam, and worse, in my late teens/early 20s!

      I prefer a mix now, for example I recently stayed in a number of locally owned places in Vietnam and Cambodia, but on my way home (Melbourne) I stayed in a suite at the Marriott SkyCity in Hong Kong.

      That’s the relaxation element once the culture and sightseeing is done, prior to a 10 hour flight home, with an Exec lounge to relax in and have a few drinks!

      • Cat says:

        30 Jun30 June 00:20

        +1
        I’ve been accused of being a flashpacker by old backpacking friends. It’s probably fairly accurate TBH. More than anything else, I love travelling the world to find the most stunning spots, ideally in the middle of nowhere, with hardly anyone else around! I realise I’m an anomaly on this forum, but my ultimate destination is usually a NP, or a remote beach, or a lake to kayak across. These days I quite like getting there in first class though (because I can)! When I arrive and leave, I’ll usually stay in a fancy hotel in the city, but once I head out to smaller towns or the middle of nowhere, I try to stay in smaller family run boutique hotels and guesthouses (ideally nice ones that are cockroach free!).
        I still insist on carrying a rucksack though. Suitcases would feel wrong. Actually, I usually have two rucksacks – my 65L one on my back, and my 30L camera bag which I wear the wrong way round. I suspect I look rather like a giant tortoise.

    • Lawro says:

      28 Jun28 June 13:53

      +1

  • Mzungu says:

    28 Jun28 June 14:02

    I was about to post something very similar. We toured Vietnam in 2016. When I was researching hotels on TripAdvisor and the like, I was surprised that the highest ranked hotels in some locations were about 12th – then I realised that I had a filter for 4* and 5*! Removed that, and bingo, the highest ranked hotels were 3* 🙂
    I booked a mixture in the end, but stayed in a couple of great 3* hotels in Hanoi and Hue for about $50/night including breakfast. The one in Hue also did good evening meal as we arrived late.
    Wouldn’t hesitate to do the same again.

  • Sam says:

    28 Jun28 June 15:13

    More than that, I wonder how you can build a 459 room high rise in a “UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve” – sounds massively counter intuitive.

    “Wonder what would help protect this UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. I know – 100 million tonnes of concrete”

    • Cat says:

      30 Jun30 June 00:28

      Exactly.

• barnaby100 says:

  28 Jun28 June 09:31

  OT but the thread is locked. The slings by and harrogate gin has gone form the lounge at LBA, back to Gordons, Beefeater and Bombay. Apparently they are going to refurbish it after 10 weeks open- it is a ridiculous business lounge- 2 sets of sockets plus one where you can sit on the floor in the corridor. Appalling acoustics. Cold coffee from a machine. Certainly not an improvement on what was there before- which is now a Starbucks.

  • Rob says:

    28 Jun28 June 10:37

    Thanks for the update, sounds great 🙂

• Ian says:

  28 Jun28 June 09:46

  OT…

  I’ve been waiting for the BA sale that for the last few years has always started by now. Had anyone heard any rumours of if/when it’s going to happen?

• G says:

  28 Jun28 June 09:59

  OT – looking to pay my TV licence via amex. The back says you can pay via paypoint. Took it to the coop and lady could not get the code to scan and I was told it could only be paid in at the post office. Anybody else had better luck at coop?

  • the real harry1 says:

    28 Jun28 June 12:31

    Paid mine at Paypoint in Texaco just a few weeks ago, yep scanned barcode

    However, I am on the TV licence payment scheme which is easy to google if interested

    • Alex W says:

      28 Jun28 June 19:29

      This scheme is a right con. You have to pay for your TV licence 6 months in advance of your renewal date. No thanks! That would cost more in lost interest than any points I could earn by paying early.

      • the real harry1 says:

        28 Jun28 June 19:45

        Mine doesn’t require payment 6 months in advance, I think you got the wrong end of the stick https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/savings-card

        [if it were so, 1% interest for 6 months on £150.50 is 75p, your Amex points would be worth £1.50]

        for me, that’s not the point, it’s just more Amex spend to hit targets

• AlanC says:

  28 Jun28 June 10:37

  O/T Got a $50 and $25 Amex Hilton Business Gift Cards from Hilton CS.
  Any idea how to use in the UK?
  Cheers

  Alan

  • David says:

    28 Jun28 June 16:29

    Easy to use at check out, they’ll do a currency conversion and get as close to the $ amount as they can.

• Craig says:

  28 Jun28 June 11:32

  OT: Looking at 10 days in Dubai/RAK for Jan. Does anyone have recent experience of the Intercontinental or Hilton in Fujairah. IHG would be free on points, Hilton would be points and cash but free breakfast as Diamond?

  • Craig says:

    28 Jun28 June 11:34

    Sorry, that should be Hilton resort and spa, Al Maareedh.

  • Rob says:

    28 Jun28 June 11:40

    We’ve reviewed the Waldorf in Ras if you search.

    • Craig says:

      28 Jun28 June 11:43

      Thanks Rob, already re-read that one.

  • Guesswho2000 says:

    28 Jun28 June 13:50

    I assume you mean Ras Al Khaimah (RKT), and not Marrakech, Morrocco (RAK)? ????

    • Craig says:

      28 Jun28 June 13:59

      Yep, I should know better. Although the toilets made there are labelled RAK!

• Graham Walsh says:

  28 Jun28 June 12:02

  That’s a shame re Virgin to Dubai, flown VS all but once to DXB. Going again in October.

  OT – Still not received my letter re any Virgin CC bonus offer.

• john says:

  28 Jun28 June 12:06

  > Confusingly, the routing actually goes:
  >
  > Beijing-Dublin-Edinburgh-Beijing on Thursdays and Sundays
  > Beijing-Edinburgh-Dublin-Beijing on Tuesdays and Saturdays

  It’s not really that confusing.. It’s Beijing-Dublin-Edinburgh-Beijing-Edinburgh-Dublin-Beijing

  It provides a direct Beijing outbound and return flight from each of Dublin and Edinburgh without having to go via Dub/Edi if you book the correct day which makes sense rather than the outbound routing being different to the inbound.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.